24 good reasons not to stay home

Theater

Sunset Playhouse presents Over the Tavern, a whimsical portrayal of a quick-witted 1950s schoolboy in search of a “more fun” religion, much to the dismay of the Catholic nuns at his school. The comedy premiers at the Furlan Auditorium (800 Elm Grove Rd., Elm Grove) on March 7 and runs through March 24. Tickets are $17-22 and online or through the box office, 262 782-4430.

Pink Banana Theatre Co. will present Marat/Sade beginning on March 8th at the Arcade Theatre in the Underground Collaborative (in the Plankinton Arcade of the Shops of Grand Avenue, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., lower level). The dark, witty social commentary, a play-within-a-play, takes place in an insane asylum in post-revolutionary France. It centers on the assassination of the radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat, under the direction of the infamously perverted Marquis de Sade. The inmates are the actors. Expect a punk-rock aesthetic, simple set design, and lots of music. Tickets are $10-15 and are available online; for further information call  414 949-7282.

The Skylight Music Theatre opens its “countrified musical,” Pump Boys & Dinettes, on March 8. The original Tony-nominated Broadway production debuted in 1982. The show involves singing, dancing filling station workers and waitresses somewhere in remote North Carolina. The show runs through March 24 at the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway). Tickets are $13.50-67  online or by phone, 414-291-7800.

Concordia University’s Acacia Theatre presents Rick Whelan’s Heaven Sent March 8-17. The play, loosely based on George Eliot’s Silas Marner, revolves around a hermit and a little orphan girl. It’s an uplifting story about a man regaining his faith by unexpectedly caring for a child. Performances are at the Todd Wehr Auditorium (12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon). Tickets can be purchased via their website or by calling 414 744-5995.

Music

Potawatomi Casino’s Northern Lights Theater presents One Night of Queen  — even though it’s actually two nights, March 6-7 — with Queen cover band Gary Mullen and The Works. Missing Freddy Mercury? Weep no more. It’s almost like the real thing. Tickets are $35-45 and are available online or at the box office: 414 847-7922

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents Beyond the Score: Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony at 7:30 p.m. on March 7 at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall. This multimedia exploration of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 relates this “New World” Symphony to the composer’s abandoned opera based on H.W. Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha.” Creative director Gerard McBurney  also explores underlying themes and the events in Dvorak’s. The “New World” Symphony performance follows, conducted by Edo de Waart. Tickets are $12-32. Friday and Saturday’s full performances are $22-102, and tickets are available online or through the box office at 414-291-7605.

At regular subscription concerts at 11:15 a.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday, the MSO and de Waart will perform Dvořák’s Ninth again. On this program, violinist will be the guest soloist in Bruch’s Concerto No. 1, and Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral will open the program. Tickets are $22-$82 for the Friday matinee and $22-$102 Saturday evening.

The Florentine Opera Company’s presentation of Benjamin Britten’s British classic, Albert Herring, begins on March 8 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The intelligent, turn of the century comedic masterpiece centers on the show’s namesake, a miserable, aloof mother’s boy in a small English town full of shady characters. Albert Herring runs through March 17 at Vogel Hall (929 N. Water St.). Tickets are $35-125 online or though the box office at 414 291-5700.

Wisconsin Philharmonic will present its English Elegance concert on March 10th at 3 p.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church (300 Carroll St., Waukesha). A  post-concert talkback will feature tenor Vale Rideout and principal French horn player Kelly Hoffman. Tickets are $22-32 online, or call 262 547-1858.

Bel Canto Chorus will sing Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil on March 10 at the St. Joseph’s Center Chapel (1501 S. Layton Blvd.). To honor Maestro Hynson’s 25 anniversary as music director, they will collaborate with the Bel Canto Boy Choirs to premiere a newly commissioned work by Alexander Levine. A celebratory reception will follow the performance. Tickets are $17-25 and are available online or by calling 414-481-8801.

Milwaukee Children’s Choir and Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra present the Milwaukee Youth Music Celebration this Sunday, March 10th at 3:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the UWM campus), and will include a collaborative performance of classic & modern arrangements from Tchaikovsky to Engelbert Humperdinck. Tickets are $8-12 and are available by phone: 414-221-7040

MCC’s Prelude Choir will also perform two free concerts on Sunday, March 10th at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum (929 E. Wisconsin Ave.) beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is free with museum admission and more information is available on MCC’s website.

Visual Art

UW-Milwaukee’s MA/MFA Exhibition will hold its opening reception at Inova/Arts Center (2400 E. Kenwood Blvd.) on March 8 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition showcases the works of graduate students Chantala Kommanivanh, Brooklyn Henke, Jay Fox, Amy Magnuson, and Joe Grennier. The show closes on March 30. Admission free.

Special Events

If you’re disappointed about the sold-out Tegan and Sara show at the Pabst Theater, perhaps you could do something completely the opposite of that for a girls’ night out: One of the seven performances of Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody this week at Turner Hall. The title says it all; it’s a ridiculous musical based on the popular steamy novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Tickets for the March 6-10 shows are $36-43 online or by phone, 414 283-3663

The Marcus Center presents Jack Hanna’s Into The Wild LIVE on at 7 p.m. March 8. The nationally acclaimed zookeeper will present footage from his worldwide excursions as well as some of his favorite animal pals in-person. Tickets to see Jungle Jack are $39-51 and are available online or by calling the box office at 414 273-7206.

Historic Milwaukee will host a unique event at the Pabst Theater on March 11. Envisioning the Seen,  a panel discussion hosted by 12 of Milwaukee’s most influential thinkers, will highlight some optimistically imaginative ideas about what the city of Milwaukee could do with more resources and fewer limitations. This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the future of our city and its potential to grow monetarily and intellectually. Tickets are only $10 and are available online or at the box office: 414-283-3663.

Ongoing

Redeemer Lutheran Church (631 N. 19th St.): Work In Progress, through March 16

Alchemist Theatre: Dracula, through March 16

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre: Underneath The Lintel, through March 17

In Tandem Theatre: Beast on the Moon, through March 24

Mount Mary: Faculty Art Exhibit, through March 24

The Marcus Center: Pinkalicious, through March 24

Milwaukee Rep: Ring of Fire through May 5

Milwaukee Art Museum: Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America, through May 19